Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Free Knowledge Africa Development Support/Final Report
Report Status: Accepted
Due date: 31 July 2023
Funding program: Wikimedia Community Fund
Report type: Final
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General information
[edit]This form is for organizations, groups, or individuals receiving Wikimedia Community Funds or Wikimedia Alliances Funds to report on their final results.
- Name of Organization: Access to Knowledge Africa Initiative
- Title of Proposal: Free Knowledge Africa Development Support
- Amount awarded: 25000 USD, 25000 NGN
- Amount spent: 10341800 NGN
Part 1 Understanding your work
[edit]1. Briefly describe how your proposed activities and strategies were implemented.
We were able to implement most of our proposed activities apart from the Free Knowledge Africa fellowship Program which we had to cancel due to insufficient funds.
Explore Africa Writing Contest We organized the Explore Africa Contest on Wikivoyage and were able to generate over 100 articles on African Destinations on Wikivoyage.
AfroSports We held a virtual Sports Symposium with the theme “The role of Open-Source platforms (Wikipedia) as it relates to the promotion of Sports in Africa”. We also organized the AfroSports writing contest and generated over 1000 articles on Wikipedia in English and six African Languages (Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Kinyarwanda, Swahili and Dagbani)
GLAM and Advocacy We organized an open GLAM Advocacy campaign in Plateau State Nigeria, where we visited cultural heritage institutions in the state and carried out oral documentation of the Tarok tribe in Langtang.
FKA Podcast We also recorded the FKA Podcast and uploaded it to various podcast streaming platforms.
2. Were there any strategies or approaches that you felt were effective in achieving your goals?
We believed our open GLAM advocacy campaign was a major breakthrough in penetrating through the thick walls of opposition, mainly bureaucracy, digital gap, lack of trust that has been against open sharing of cultural heritage works. It gave us an opportunity to understand what the challenges are on the part of the cultural heritage institutions, and the regulatory limitations due to the organization of the public cultural heritage institutions.
We also believe that contests have provided an opportunity to recruit, onboard and train new people who have also become members of the Wikimedia movement. We have also been able to reach many people with social media promotions.
3. Would you say that your project had any innovations? Are there things that you did very differently than you have seen them done by others?
We placed a lot more focus on community building and engagement through our various social media channels. Our podcast was particularly innovative because it was a way for us to share our experiences and perspectives as well as keep our community engaged and provide them with information relating to our focus areas.
4. Please describe how different communities participated and/or were informed about your work.
During the AfroSports contest, we reached out to the Wikimedia Community User Groups for Uganda, Kenya, Dagbani, and Tanzania via their respective talk pages.
During the Explore Africa Contests, we collaborated with community leads from the Wikipedia Community User Group Kenya, the African Wikimedia Technical Community, the Gurene Wikimedia Community, Wikimediens du Benin User Group, Wikimedians of Democratic of Congo User Group and the Wikimedia Community User Group Burundi. We worked with them to drive engagement in their communities and provide support and training to editors during the contest.
We shared the announcements on the African Wikimedians Telegram Group and African Wikimedia Mailing list.
We published the announcement on our website, mailing list and social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram).
5. Documentation of your impact. Please use the two spaces below to share files and links that help tell your story and impact. This can be documentation that shows your results through testimonies, videos, sound files, images (photos and infographics, etc.) social media posts, dashboards, etc.
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRUlqPMeNMo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YahpKW3OdnU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YahpKW3OdnU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTakikXJhCw
6. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with the support of this Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals.
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Neither agree nor disagree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Strongly agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Strongly agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Strongly agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Strongly agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement. | Agree |
7. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your efforts helped to bring in participants and/or build out content, particularly for underrepresented groups?
N/A
Part 2: Your main learning
[edit]8. In your application, you outlined your learning priorities. What did you learn about these areas during this period?
We are still trying to learn how the volume contributions in value will be quantified over time as it relates to the economic influence of the open movement in the continent of Africa. A series of surveys and research will enable us to get this data.
A major challenge that volunteer editors in Africa encounter while contributing is the high cost of internet access and poor understanding of the policies guiding contribution to Wikipedia and its sister project.
We have discovered that the opportunity for young people in Africa to contribute their quota to bridging the knowledge gap is part of what excites them to contribute.
We also noticed that a mix of recorded and live training sessions works best in training people.
9. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities?
The most surprising thing for us while implementing our activities was realising the extent people would go to try to game the system and cheat their way to a win. On the positive side, during our advocacy in Plateau state, we made some surprising discoveries about the cultures resident in the area.
10. How do you hope to use this learning? For instance, do you have any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future?
Going forward, we plan to prioritize community building. We will carry out more training sessions to ensure people learn the correct ways to contribute to the Wikimedia projects as well as educate them on the policies and guidelines. We will also be placing a lot more emphasis on quality rather than quantity while working with our community to contribute.
As for proposed future activities, we plan to continue the FKA podcast and hold monthly thematic workshops/trainings.
11. If you were sitting with a friend to tell them one thing about your work during this fund, what would it be (think of inspiring or fascinating moments, tough challenges, interesting anecdotes, or anything that feels important to you)?
We would tell them about the things we’ve been able to achieve, how we increased awareness about the public domain in Africa and how thousands of Wikipedia articles about African subjects have been created as a result of our work.
12. Please share resources that would be useful to share with other Wikimedia organizations so that they can learn from, adapt or build upon your work. For instance, guides, training material, presentations, work processes, or any other material the team has created to document and transfer knowledge about your work and can be useful for others. Please share any specific resources that you are creating, adapting/contextualizing in ways that are unique to your context (i.e. training material).
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
bit.ly/fkapodcast
Part 3: Metrics
[edit]13a. Open and additional metrics data
| Open Metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | This will include people who participate in our campaigns, attend our events and webinar, participate in our surveys and outreaches. | 1000 | 402 | Summed up across the period under review | Google forms, Zoom attendance, physical attendance at meetings |
| Editors | Editors who participate in our writing and photography contests (Afro Sports and Explore Africa) | 250 | 152 | Afrosports - 62 editors
Explore Africa - 90 editors |
Outreach dashboard |
| Organizers | At least 25 people would be involved in organizing activities and events for this project. There are five core team members. | 25 | 14 | Free Knowledge Africa team members and contest facilitators | Organzing team collation |
| ' | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| ' | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Additional Metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of editors that continue to participate/retained after activities | We would ensure that at least 50% of editors in our programs continue to actively contribute after the project ends. | 125 | 125 | target was met | Wikimedia X tools |
| Number of organizers that continue to participate/retained after activities | We would support some of the organizers to set up their own projects and provide support during execution. | 5 | 6 | Target was surpassed | Ongoing communication and followup |
| Number of strategic partnerships that contribute to longer term growth, diversity and sustainability | We would be establishing strategic long term partnerships with GLAM institutions in Nigeria and travel, tourism, sports organizations. | 25 | 12 | Target was not met | Formal and informal partnerships established |
| Feedback from participants on effective strategies for attracting and retaining contributors | We would carry out a feedback survey for all our activities to measure and evaluate our impact for further improvements in subsequent projects and share learnings with other organizers in the movement. | 6 | 11 | Target was surpassed | Google forms |
| Diversity of participants brought in by grantees | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of people reached through social media publications | The number of people reached through our social media publications related to the work developed within this proposal. | 500000 | 520000 | Target was surpassed | Meta and Google analytics (achieved and projected) |
| Number of activities developed | At least 6 activities would be carried out during the project. | 6 | 6 | Target was met.
Advocacy campaign in Plateau State, Afrosport contest, African Sports Symposium, Explore Africa Contest, Public Domain Day Event, Podcast Recording and Upload |
N/A |
| Number of volunteer hours | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
13b. Additional core metrics data.
| Core metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | We would ensure that at least 25% of participants become volunteer editors on Wikimedia projects. | 250 | 58 | Target (62.5) was not slightly met. | Google forms |
| Number of editors | We would ensure that at least we have 100 newly registered users (editors) | 100 | 152 | Editors during the AfroSports and Explore Africa Contests | Outreach dashboards |
| Number of organizers |
| Wikimedia Project | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikimedia Commons | Images collected through the Explore Africa and AfroSports contests as well as GLAM collections opened up | 1000 | 2114 | Target was surpassed | Outreach dashboard |
| Wikivoyage | Articles created about African destinations during the Explore Africa contest | 1000 | 175 | The article creation target was not met but we had a significant contribution to improving 312 articles. | Outreach dashboard and jury review. |
| Wikipedia | Articles created during the Afrosports and articles that are within the scope (cities, villages, geographical areas/regions, churches, monasteries, buildings, schools) of Explore Africa contest. | 1000 | 4650 | Target was massively surpassed. | Outreach dashboard and jury review. |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
14. Were there any metrics in your proposal that you could not collect or that you had to change?
No
15. If you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results, please describe and add any recommendations on how to address them in the future.
None
16. Use this space to link or upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your data collection (e.g., dashboards, surveys you have carried out, communications material, training material, etc).
- Upload Documents and Files
- Here is an additional field to type in URLs.
https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/FKA/Afrosports_Contest_(March_and_April_2023)
Part 4: Organizational capacities & partnerships
[edit]17. Organizational Capacity
| A. Financial capacity and management | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| B. Conflict management or transformation | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| C. Leadership (i.e growing in potential leaders, leadership that fit organizational needs and values) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| D. Partnership building | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| E. Strategic planning | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| F. Program design, implementation, and management | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| G. Scoping and testing new approaches, innovation | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| H. Recruiting new contributors (volunteer) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| I. Support and growth path for different types of contributors (volunteers) | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| J. Governance | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| K. Communications, marketing, and social media | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| L. Staffing - hiring, monitoring, supporting in the areas needed for program implementation and sustainability | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| M. On-wiki technical skills | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| N. Accessing and using data | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| O. Evaluating and learning from our work | This capacity has grown but it should be further developed |
| P. Communicating and sharing what we learn with our peers and other stakeholders | This has grown over the last year, the capacity is high |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
17a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Formal training provided by the Wikimedia Foundation, Peer to peer learning with other community members in conferences/events, Using capacity building/training resources onlinee from sources OUTSIDE the Wikimedia Movement
17b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build capacities? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Lack of training that fits contextual needs and interests, Lack of financial resources, Ineffective training opportunities which did not improve capacity
18. Is there anything else you would like to share about how your organizational capacity has grown, and areas where you require support?
N/A
19. Partnerships over the funding period.
| A. We built strategic partnerships with other institutions or groups that will help us grow in the medium term (3 year time frame) | Strongly agree |
| B. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to bring in more contributors from underrepresented groups | Agree |
| C. The partnerships we built with other institutions or groups helped to build out more content on underrepresented topics/groups | Agree |
19a. Which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Staff hired through the fund, Institutional support from the Wikimedia Foundation, Volunteers from our communities
19b. Which of the following factors hindered your ability to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors.
Difficulties specific to our context that hindered partnerships, Lack of institutional support from the Wikimedia Foundation, Lack of staff to conduct outreach to new strategic partners
20. Please share your learning about strategies to build partnerships with other institutions and groups and any other learning about working with partners?
We recently started working with the Goethe Institut and what we learnt was that its important to explore areas of mutual interest.
Part 5: Sense of belonging and collaboration
[edit]21. What would it mean for your organization to feel a sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement?
To be involved and carried along in important conversations and decisions that will impact the movement and the African region.
22. How has your (for individual grantees) or your group/organization’s (for organizational grantees) sense of belonging to the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?
Somewhat increased
23. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.
N/A
24. How has your group/organization’s sense of personal investment in the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement changed over the fund period?
Increased significantly
25. If you would like to, please share why it has changed in this way.
N/A
26. Are there other movements besides the Wikimedia or free knowledge movement that play a central role in your motivation to contribute to Wikimedia projects? (for example, Black Lives Matter, Feminist movement, Climate Justice, or other activism spaces) If so, please describe it below.
Pan African movement Climate Justice movement Civic tech
Supporting Peer Learning and Collaboration
[edit]We are interested in better supporting peer learning and collaboration in the movement.
27. Have you shared these results with Wikimedia affiliates or community members?
Partially
27a. Please describe how you have already shared them. Would you like to do more sharing, and if so how?
At the learning clinics organized by the MEA region.
The Foundation could organize a session to share the progress achieved by grants with the public.
28. How often do you currently share what you have learned with other Wikimedia Foundation grantees, and learn from them?
We do this occasionally (less than once a month)
29. How does your organization currently share mutual learning with other grantees?
Informally and only with those we are currently in close contact with.
Part 6: Financial reporting and compliance
[edit]30. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency.
10341800
31. Local currency type
NGN
32. Please report the funds received and spending in the currency of your fund.
- Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.
- Report funds received and spent, if template not used.
- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q1XSZncTvdhBsKZEQoD22fny9t3MRS5mSMya1JqboZU/edit?usp=sharing
33. If you have not already done so in your budget report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal.
Already stated in the budget report.
34. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
34a. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
$80
34b. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
A. Propose to use the underspent funds within this Fund period with PO approval
34c. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
We hope to use it to fund a social media campaign.
35. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
As required in the fund agreement, please report any deviations from your fund proposal here. Note that, among other things, any changes must be consistent with our WMF mission, must be for charitable purposes as defined in the grant agreement, and must otherwise comply with the grant agreement.
36. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
Yes
37. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
Yes
38. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here.